Council House Sales

HC Deb 17 March 1982 vol 20 cc138-9W

41. Mr. Les Huckfield

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses were sold in 1981; and how many were completed.

Mr. Stanley

In 1981 local authorities and new towns in Great Britain sold an estimated 118,000 dwellings and completed the construction of 66,000 new dwellings.

47. Mr. Durant

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have, since May 1979, built houses for sale to families on their waiting lists.

Mr. Stanley

For the available information I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the member for Lichfield and Tamworth (Mr. Heddle) on 15 March.—[Vol. 19, c. 45–47.]

50. Mr. Butcher

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council and new town tenants have so far been able to purchase their homes using the right to buy under the Housing Act 1980.

Mr. Stanley

It is estimated that 91,000 sales to local authority and new town tenants in Great Britain were completed between 3 October 1980 and 31 December 1981 under the right to buy provisions of the Housing Act 1980 and the Tenants' Rights etc. (Scotland) Act 1980. This figure includes sales which had reached the stage of missives concluded in Scotland.

69. Mr. Kenneth Carlisle

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities he has warned over undue delays in the sale of council houses.

Mr. Stanley

There are currently 22 local authorities in England who have received administrative warning that my right hon. Friend is contemplating using his powers of intervention under section 23 of the Housing Act 1980, and where that warning has not yet been withdrawn. In addition, there is one authority, Norwich city council, where a notice of intervention has been served and is now in force.

Mr. Kaufman

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the written answer to the hon. Member for Cannock (Mr. Roberts) Official Report, 10 March, column 455, which showed that the 94,000 council house sales in 1981 fell 56,000 short of the assumption for capital receipts for that year, if he will state the original money assumption for capital receipts based on the 150,000 sales assumption and the revised money assumption based on the 94,000 sales; and if he will increase housing investment programme allocations for 1982–83 by the difference between these two sums.

Mr. Stanley

I assume that the right hon. Gentleman is referring to the assumption about the number of council house sales in England in the financial year 1981–82 which was made for public expenditure purposes. That assumption was of 120,000 sales not 150,000. Forecast total receipts from those sales was £425 million 18 December 1980—[Vol. 996, c.441–2]—and we estimate that those receipts will be achieved.